Who is really guilty?

It’s time for all of us to take responsibility for helping create a climate of violence and hate

HARDY HABERMAN | Flagging Left

I am guilty — guilty of seeing a connection between the rabble-rousing rhetoric of Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and others as a catalyst for the actions of a twisted Arizona man.

Guilty of sensing the tragic and outrageous events in Tucson as some kind of clarion call.

Guilty of hoping the tone of political discussion in this country might in some way be softened by the senseless murders and injuries caused by a man with a gun.

Guilty of thinking to myself these words, “See, now look at what you have done!”

Yet my confession does nothing to ease the pain and suffering of those in Arizona. The families of the murdered political aide, the innocent girl, the elderly couples will still grieve, and the husbands, wives and lovers of the injured will still worry and spend sleepless nights at hospital bedsides.

Like so many others, I long to make sense of the events in Arizona by casting about for someone to blame and until the man who committed the murders confesses, I will have no proof. The reason is locked in his mind, and all the pundits and psychologists and TV talking heads cannot know the real answer.

I am guilty of trying to figure that out as well.

It’s natural to look for reasons for unreasonable acts. It is what makes us human, our desire to somehow connect the dots and make sense of what happens around us and to us.

Unfortunately, doing that can lead to wrong conclusions. Less fortunate still is the desire to use inexplicable events as an excuse to further our personal agenda.

I could easily point to Sarah Palin’s website with the now infamous “bull’s-eye map” and ask, “How is that not a direct call to action for every mentally unstable person with a firearm?”

I could point to the Tea Party and their signs reading “Bury Obamacare with Kennedy,” and ask, “How is that kind of jingoism not a call to violence?”

I could point to the YouTube videos of the accused shooter who ranted about “There’s no flag in the constitution. Therefore, the flag in the film is unknown. Burn every new and old flag that you see.”

I could point to those videos and ask how could he not be a deranged anti-government mad man?

I could point to the pundits and commentators and politicians who have jumped to conclusions they fear are the truth.
More telling about this whole event is the number and direction of the finger-pointing — not just by me, but by people on both the right and the left.

Most of those fingers point to the vehemence of the rhetoric and what passes for political discourse. When the Pima County Sheriff spoke of Tucson being Tombstone, the metaphor was not lost on many.

The fact that Sarah Palin’s staff removed the “bull’s-eye map” only minutes after the shootings, the fact that politicians told their staffs to be more vigilant and aware of possible threats, the fact that commentators on both sides jumped to the conclusions about the “tone of the discussion” may hold an answer.

Whatever the reason Jared Lee Loughner may have had for opening fire at point-blank range on Congresswoman Giffords, the act gave substance to what so many have feared.

All the talk and ranting and chanting could erupt into violence, that is the biggest fear, even of those using the harsh language.

It makes for great visuals to whip a crowd into a frenzy, but beyond the visuals, it creates a force that can take on a life of its own — the “mob.”

And though it might not operate en-masse, mob mentality can still push individuals to violent acts.

That’s why everyone from John McCain to President Obama are urging calm. That’s why it’s time to do a bit of soul searching. That’s why it’s time to retract those pointing fingers and start examining our own actions.

Sadly, not everyone will heed the call. Already, irresponsible voices are screaming on radio and TV, looking to exploit the still-fluid situation and the fog of facts.

Already, the sad cult led by Fred Phelps is heading to Tucson to wave inflammatory signs lauding God’s vengeance for the murders and blaming America’s acceptance of homosexuals for the crimes.

And once again I find myself guilty of trying to find someone or something to be the target of my anger and grief.

I only hope that my sincere belief in the power of peace will be greater than my baser instincts. My desire to hope is stronger than my surrender to despair. My passing reaction to hate will not succumb to my instinct to love.

Hardy Haberman is a longtime local LGBT activist and a member of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas. His blog is at http://dungeondiary.blogspot.com.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition Jan. 14, 2011.

11 Comments

You are also guilty of ignorance or willful blindness to the facts. Loughner started his fixation on Rep. Giffords in 2007, well before Palin or the TEA Party were anywhere to be seen on the national stage. But hey, that doesn’t fit your meme that there must be “a connection between the rabble-rousing rhetoric of Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and others as a catalyst for the actions of a twisted Arizona man,” so you ignore that fact. You might want to look up the term “cognitivie dissonance” and then look in a mirror. Incidentally, you are guilty of one thing: Trying to make a political point on the body of a dead 9 year old girl among others. That’s truly sick. PS Link re Loughner’s obsession with Giffords: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/jared-lee-loughner-friend-voicemail-phone-message

Also, as to your point about of “It’s time for all of us to take responsibility for helping create a climate of violence and hate,” could you have a talk to your buddy Obama about that? “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” Barack Obama in July 2008 “I want you to argue with them and get in their face!” Barack Obama, September 2008 “Here’s the problem: It’s almost like they’ve got — they’ve got a bomb strapped to them and they’ve got their hand on the trigger. You don’t want them to blow up. But you’ve got to kind of talk them, ease that finger off the trigger.” Barack Obama on banks, March 2009 “I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!” Barack Obama on ACORN Mobs, March 2010 “We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick.” Barack Obama on the private sector, June 2010 “A Republican majority in Congress would mean ‘hand-to-hand combat’ on Capitol Hill for the next two years, threatening policies Democrats have enacted to stabilize the economy.” Barack Obama, October 6, 2010 “We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us.” Barack Obama to Latinos, October 2010

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But when the Democratic National Committee put out a website with targets on congressional districts they thought they could overturn it was somehow not? Why don’t the mentally unstable shoot Target stores? There is no indication whatsoever that the shooter ever saw the map on Palin’s website. There is no indication he’s ever even heard of Palin or Beck or Limbaugh. He was listening to voices in his head that had no connection to reality based events or people. His money was talking to him about grammar! By trying to claim or insinuate guilt, through vague associations that don’t even exist, you are contributing to the “atmosphere of hate” that you claim to deplore, and you are traipsing through fantasy-realities, much as Loughner did before he began shooting.

I’m still a long way from being able to fulfill that wish in full, I get caught up too much on teaching justice and lose sight of being kind and peaceful.

On this subject, I doubt I can have any peace anytime soon. Because I am guilty of the same things you are. The same thing that Kieth Olbermann is. I am guilty of placing blame… I see those connections… on both sides, and no part of me was surprised that someone would do such a thing in the climate that has been created politically here in this country. It didn’t shock me, because I already feared something like this would happen. Not to those people specifically… but I had already come to terms with the fear that some unstable person might be emboldened by the violent rhetoric to commit such an act.

I find it interesting that this article and most of the comments following it again highlight that as a nation, we are afflicted with a partisan polarization that crosses all demographics, including our own community. It is this hostility in how we treat one another that is the root of the problem, not Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck, or even Hardy Haberman. As for seeking to blame national figures, our elected government officials, as well as our popular culture icons, reflect who we are and what we are thinking. It is the American people as a whole and our national habit of vitriolic diatribe that contributed to what happened in Tucson, and will happen again and again unless we change how we talk to one another. Maybe we should start with changing how we respond to articles in The Voice.

People need to wake up to the fact that Sarah Palin like Glenn Beck are simply 2 opinion pushing morons who do not possess a single ounce of personal or journalistic integrity. Glenn beck is simply an idiot who mixes mormon cult teachings with cherry picked parts of Catholicism with his inner core as a dry alcoholic and Sarah Palin has shown that she is only good at throwing right wing extremist bombs but could not catch them from the other side when she abandon her constituents as Governor of Alaska. These 2 self serving anti-American idiots climbed in bed with Satan a very long time ago. These 2 losers are good at one thing and one thing only and that is making big money by selling their lies, hate, fear mongering and half truths to impressionable idiots who are doomed to repeat the mistakes of history. You know the type…..those who are dumb enough to be tea baggers or registered republicans.

Hoe can anyone deny that the Tea Party is responsible for this? They encouraged violence against our leaders. They encourage a radical overthrow of the government to set up a new nation as Perry as King and Pallin. They have no respect for our country or the Constitution. This is not about addressing our country for grievances as they claim. There is something deeper going on. There is nothing but hate in their platform to exclude anyone who is not white, straight , christian. They have made several statements against minorities including imprisoning and killing gays. If you listen 5 mins to what they were actually saying there would be no argument that this is a group of hate, and they are revving up the population to hate. They are basically the KKK without the white robes. They encourage hate and violence and they are responsible for the shooting in AZ as if they pulled the trigger themselves because they told him to do it. Why are we turning a blind eye to their hate and intolerance? I don’t understand how anyone can choose to support hate and intolerance and turn a blind eye to a political group that is encouraging it. I don’t understand the society that we live in.